The Cheaper Alternative: Tomato Soup

What you need: spaghetti sauce and 1 cup of water

What you do: Add spaghetti sauce to your desired consistency and mix in water. Stir and heat.



Voila! You have some tomato soup. Experiment with the different flavors of spaghetti sauce out there. One jar will yield way more bowls of soup than one can therefore saving you $$$. :)

$5 Centerpiece

I love our house we moved into a few months ago. I decided to keep the same kitchen theme which is Mary Engelbreit. If you've never seen any of her stuff, you have to google her name and peruse. I would describe her art as a mixture of cute with a dash of whimsy.

Anywho, I wanted a centerpiece for our table, but as usual money is tight. LOL I made one for $5 by shopping a sale and using what I already had. The vase was one of those that came with a flower delivery I received sometime ago. The "runner" was actually the valance I used at our previous home. As you can see, the window is huge in our kitchen so it was way to short. I got the berry stems at Hobby Lobby for 50% off. Total cost was $5 Here is the result:

If you don't have much money to spend, go digging around and see what you already have. And remember, you can always do a spray paint job if you need to. Just open up that creativity part of your mind and let the ideas come freely!

Creative Recycling: Leftover Prescription Medication

I know y'all have to be like me and clean out the medicine cabinet every once in a while. Usually I wind up chunking medications that have just sit there and expired because I hated to throw that half full bottle away. Well, I have just found out there is hope for some of it!

If you have any medication that you feel might be useful such as antibiotics, etc., call your local church and physician offices and see if they collect leftover medicines for mission trips to other countries. If they don't collect them, ask if they know another church or doctor's office that does. This is a great way to not waste good medicine and help those less fortunate in the process! Also, some offices may even take leftover medications for some of their own patients who are bound financially.

So next time you discover you will not use all of your prescription, call around and see if you can find it a new home. Who knows, you could save someone's life!

Monday Night Dive Report

So I've recruited another PIC and 3 of us went out scavaging last night. Here is what we found:

-K(Mart): Lots of Halloween costumes and items. Just grabbed a bunch of stuff and left leaving some behind. I guess we'll sell or donate them. I'm not sure yet.

-B(ig) L(ots): Expired baby cereal, and a couple of bags of the suckiest tasting generic cheetos I've ever had. Also, a plastic storage container with a small crack in it but still very usable. Lastly, a very nice ceramic plant holder with the broken piece inside making it a super easy fix.

We found nothing else at the other locations. :( Overall, it was an ok night.

What Would You Like Tips On?

If you want to find an inexpensive way to do something but can't figure out how, let me know. I'd love to help! I'll at least give it a try so just let me know. Anything from decor to shopping, I'll try to find a frugal way about it. Just click on the envelope under the "Contact Me" section to send me your question. Thanks and I hope to hear from you soon! :)

The Lowdown

I am by no means a store dumpster diving expert. But I don't mind sharing my tips and techniques. I'll break it down with who, what, when, and where.

Who:

The who stands for you and where you live. You've got to check the laws in your local area. They are different everywhere. Here, in Statesboro, Ga, it is not against the law to dumpster dive unless there is a sign on the dumpster telling you not to do so. We consulted with a police officer from our church to verify this information. The only signs posted on the dumpsters I've seen so far is "No Public Dumping". If the dumpster is locked, move along. That means they don't want you going through their trash.

What:

What do you need? A good flashlight for starters. It is best to get a small bright one. You don't want your arm to start getting tired while you're looking through stuff. I got a cute pink (what can I say, I'm a girly girl mm'k?) mag lite at Wally World for about $8.50. Make sure it is a bright enough to light up the dumpster. These two things make a huge difference, trust me.

Second, bring something with you to be able to acquire items out of your reach. A potato rake has worked best for me so far. You also might want to bring a few boxes or bags along in case you hit the motherload. Many times there will be boxes around, but just in case, bring some of your own. May you hit the motherload my child. hehe

When:
The best time to go is after store hours. You don't want to run into any employees. If you can't do it after store hours, then I'd say take your chances but make it snappy...very snappy. I've been both in the morning and at night, and so far, I like going at night best. Me and my PIC (partner in crime), usually start at 10 pm. If you do go in the morning, make sure you go around 5-5:30 am. The reason for this is because a manager or employee will get to the store early to get it ready to open. And as I said before, you don't want a run-in with a worker.

I haven't had that happen yet, but I did get to Goodwill at 6:30 a.m. one day, and there was a car already there. That's why I like evening dives better. Everyone is ready to get out of there and go home!

Where:
From what I've read of others and from my own personal experiences, K(mart),
G(oodwill), J(oannes), and L(owes) are good producers. Also, the big office store chains. It just really depends what you have in your area. Just make sure to dive at stores where the dumpster is in the back or concealed and not out in the open. If you're seen, people will call in and complain. Even though it may be legal in your area, doesn't mean it is condoned. So be fast, as incognito as possible and most important, have fun! Enjoy your treasure hunt. :)

Black Saturday!

Today is Black Saturday because its the day after Halloween. Next year, it will be Black Sabbath. Har har! Ok, it's early and I'm loopy.

I just wanted to remind all of you striving to be frugal folks to head to your stores today to stock up for Halloween next year. Take advantage of the costume section if you still have a child young enough that you have to decide what they are going to be. I don't know if I'd risk it with an older child because a year is a long ways away and they like to change their minds!

Another thing to take advantage of are the party favors. Perfect for upcoming birthday parties or if you like to give each of your child's classmates a little treat bag for Christmas or Easter.

One thing that makes for a successful frugal lifestyle is thinking ahead! So go to the stores today for 50% off and take advantage of the treats and home decor! Don't forget to check back next Saturday because they should then have the everything else marked down 75%. Leave a comment about what you got today!